


It’s a game for two

by Sutured_Wings



Category: Magnum P.I. (TV 2018)
Genre: Competitive, F/M, Flirting, Pool, Summer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-17 11:55:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28599558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sutured_Wings/pseuds/Sutured_Wings
Summary: A perfect summers day by the pool with a healthy dose of Magnum + Higgins competition and just a dash of flirting(Pretty sure I’m getting worse at writing summaries)
Relationships: Juliet Higgins/Thomas Sullivan Magnum IV
Comments: 24
Kudos: 90





	It’s a game for two

**Author's Note:**

> Hey Everyone!  
> Two fics in a week, the Gods of inspiration were kind to me these holidays😂😍  
> This ones largely based on what I spent my holidays doing (since it’s summer here and I couldn’t really leave my house coz of Covid) and it was super fun for me to write so I really hope you all like it❤️

The cool water lapped over Juliet’s feet from the ripples her own movement created in the pool. The sound of the crashing waves in the distance and the warmth of the sun on her mostly exposed back calming her racing mind. It had been nearly three weeks since her and Ethan had broken up and she still hadn’t told anyone, partly because of why things had ended and partly because of what an ending had meant in her mind. She absentmindedly stared off towards the ocean enjoying the sensation of cool at her feet and warm on her shoulders. She was so lost in thought she didn’t notice Magnum approaching until he was right beside her, casting a shadow into the pool next to her as he spoke, “what’s wrong?” 

She turned to look up at him, squinting slightly, the sun catching her eye, “what do you mean? Nothing’s wrong. I mean except for those horrendous swim trunks. Where on earth did you get those from Magnum they’re almost as blinding as the sun!” she replied knowing full well her attempted insult fell a bit short given her dampened mood.

Still Magnum chuckled at her words stepping to the side slightly to shadow the sun from her eyes before saying, “firstly, I’ll have you know these are quite popular with the ladies,” he smirked at her looking down to admire his bright yellow (possibly a tad short but even Higgins had to admit the man had nice legs) swim shorts with every colour surfboard printed on them before continuing, “secondly if you weren’t looking in places you shouldn’t be looking they wouldn’t be so blinding,” he raised his waggling eyebrows at her making her roll her eyes, although she was a bit embarrassed at the idea of him catching her checking him out (which she had done increasingly more frequently of late), he didn’t seem to notice her embarrassment though and continued, “and I know you’re not fine so seriously what’s wrong?” 

Despite all the teasing his last question was asked with such sincerity and pleading Higgins was taken by surprise. He just watched her, patiently waiting for her to answer as if he always knew she would. 

She sighed and gave in, “Just thinking.” 

He said nothing, just stood. 

“Thank you for not pushing,” she said, truly grateful that this was one of the times he wasn’t his annoyingly charming chatty self because if he’d have pushed she would’ve told him everything and she wasn’t ready for that yet. 

“Sure thing,” he said before adding, indicating to the pool, “mind if I join you?” 

She smiled at the politeness of the request, certain he would’ve jumped in regardless of her answer perhaps a year ago, today she had a feeling that if she said no he would’ve let her be.

“Be my guest,” she replied pleasantly, finding she actually quite wanted his company then. Not that she should have found this surprising, she had chosen to spend nearly almost every evening with him these past few weeks. It would’ve been every evening but he still thought she was seeing Ethan, or Dr Shah as Magnum insisted on calling him (she chose not to dwell on why that was). 

“I do believe I’m already your guest,” he said with a cheeky grin, she glanced at him with confusion too lost in her thoughts to keep track of their banter, so he continued in explanation stepping into the pool to stand slight in front of her, “you know since I live in the guest house and you now own Robins Nest. Technically I’m always your guest.” 

She hated the fact that him referring to himself as HER anything gave her butterflies she hadn’t felt since she was a school girl, but she had to laugh anyway, he always did that - found a way to drag her out of her deepest darkest places and force a smile onto her face. 

“I suppose that’s true,” she contemplated, the ghost of a smile still on her lips. 

He dived briefly under the water, emerging again wet hair plastered across his face and glistening water dripping down his torso. She couldn’t take her eyes off him as he ran a hand through his hair pushing it back, missing those few strands that always hung across his forehead these days. 

He smiled softly at her, catching her watching him, no teasing this time. She knew she had to tell him but she couldn’t look at him when she did. 

“Ethan and I broke up. A few weeks ago. It was a mutual decision,” she listed off staring down at her submerged feet. 

She heard him wade his way through the water over to her, still not looking at him even as he spoke, “Aww Higgy I’m so sorry, why didn’t you tell us?”  _Me_. 

She shrugged her shoulders meeting his gaze. She was expecting him to push for an answer but he must have got enough of an answer from her eyes coz all he did was reach out for her hand saying, “Come on, pool water is good for the soul.” 

She stared at him quizzically unable to fully suppress the laugh bubbling in her throat, he laughed with her and she took his hand slipping off the ledge into the cool water next to him. 

“Race ya to the other side of the pool,” he said as soon as she was adjusted to the water temperature, not giving her a chance to respond before he took off swimming as fast as he could. She took off after him refusing to admit defeat that easily, sadly she lost. They were both laughing at the other side of the pool, “Cheater!” she huffed out. 

“Sore loser,” he retorted, a role reversal of their race on the beach two years prior. Neither of them noticed Rick and T.C. arrive. Magnum had invited them over earlier. 

“Sorry TM but you kinda cheated,” T.C. stated, him and Rick putting their things on the table near the pool before jumping in. 

“I have to agree with the big man here, sorry buddy,” Rick concurred, much to Magnum’s annoyance. 

They were all enjoying a nice peaceful time together until Magnum decided to declare war, splash war. 

“You might’ve crooked your way into out swimming me but can you out splash me?!” he declared before sending a tsunami of a pool wave right at Higgins’ face. 

She came up coughing and spluttering slightly but admitting defeat easily. Too easily if he was paying enough attention, mistake number 1. 

He turned to talk to Rick and T.C. who were now sitting on the deck chairs after making sure she wasn’t actually drowning, mistake number 2. 

She saw her opportunity and wasted no time taking it, launching herself off the floor towards him, aiming to land behind him causing a splash to hit him, but her plan backfired. He heard her and turned while she was mid leap catching her face to face, her legs wrapped around his waist below the water surface. His hands instinctively held her to him at the small of her back. He was suddenly very glad her koala grip was above the waistband of his shorts, as he felt his pants get a little more uncomfortable at the amount of skin to skin contact. A natural and only human response to his very beautiful partner clinging to him like he was a tree he told himself. Time seemed to stop around them. At least it did in his head as she leaned towards him ever so slightly. He leaned in too. Closer. Closer. Till his eyes fluttered shut certain he was about to kiss her, so certain he’d lost track of everything besides the feeling of her breath on his lips, mistake number 3. 

Her hands slipped from his shoulders and splashed a tidal wave of water over him, shocking him into oblivion before she unwrapped her legs from his waist slipping off him. Pretending nothing happened between them got harder as her leg brushed past the front of his shorts as she moved away from him. 

The look on his face and the laughter from Rick and T.C. made it easier to focus on the goal at hand though. 

“I think I win,” she stated smugly when he’d rubbed the water out his eyes and could see her again. He was too shocked to respond with anything witty or playful or teasing and simply stated, “you win.” 

She refused to let herself think the shock could have anything to do with her tactics, it was just the water she told herself. 

Rick and T.C. had left a little while ago and Magnum disappeared somewhere not long after. She was left alone to contemplate their almost kiss and what it could mean to her, for them, along with everything else she knew that Magnum still didn’t. It could’ve changed everything, but hadn’t she done that already when she ended it with Ethan she thought to herself. She dried herself off and went looking for Magnum, part of her wanted to talk to him but he’d also left a mess of his belongings at the pool and she planned on reprimanding him. 

She found him in the hammock under the palm trees, eyes shut, soundly asleep. For a minute she was envious of how at peace he seemed when she had a war in her head, then she was envious of the way the hammock hugged his strong shoulders; that thought she scolded herself for and then proceeded to use that frustration to yell at him. 

“Magnum! What the hell are you doing sleeping here when you left the deck looking like a bunch of monkeys ran through it!??!!?l” she yelled, her first words startling him so much he nearly fell out of the hammock. When the initial shock of her waking him wore off he was as calm as ever, smiling at her. 

“Higgy, relax I promise I’ll clean up later. Just come sit with me for a while,” he said reaching for her, tugging her gently by the wrist. 

“Magnum there isn’t room for two people in there,” she stated, fairly sure there actually wasn’t but also sure she wouldn’t have minded being curled up next to/on top of him. 

“Sure there is, I’ll show you,” he said pulling harder so she came tumbling into the hammock. Her head on his bare shoulder(he still hadn’t put a shirt on), her legs sprawled half over his and his arm resting on the cloth of the hammock just behind her head. 

Her heart raced at how warm his skin was against her cheek and how comfortable she felt lying here like this with him. He rocked them gently with the one foot dangling off the suspended bed onto the floor. She was just about to drift off when he asked softly, “Why did you and Ethan break up?”

She didn’t need to look up to know he was looking at her with that soft expression he wore only for her sometimes. 

She sighed softly before telling him, “He didn’t have enough time, I didn’t have enough time. He was too predictable, he worked too hard sometimes I don’t know. We just didn’t click the way I would’ve liked I guess.” 

“And why didn’t you tell me when you broke up with him?” he asked even softer than the first question. 

She knew he knew exactly why just by his tone.

“He was the first person I chose to be with after Richard, that not working out felt like...” she trailed off not knowing how or wanting to finish that sentence but so desperately wanting to tell him in the hopes that it would make her feel better. 

“Like you’d failed?” he prompted gently. 

“Yea,” she agreed, “like I’d failed.” 

“You know mistakes don’t mean you’re failing. Mistakes mean you’re trying. And I’m proud of you for trying,” he said with such honesty pushing her off his shoulder gently so he could look at her. His sincerity had her actually believing him. 

But wait had he just asked why SHE broke up with HIM. He’d only have asked it that way if he already knew everything right. There was no point lying now. 

She looked down before meeting his eyes again and saying, barely a whisper, “that’s not the only reason I didn’t tell you.” 

“What’s the other reason?” he asked at the same pitch and volume as her, as if he would scare her away with anything else. 

“It didn’t feel right with him because he wasn’t you,” she finally said, louder than her words prior. She looked at him terrified of his response. 

He smiled brightly at her easing some of her woes. 

He leaned a little closer brushing stray stands of hair away from her face before saying, “well then Miss Higgins, I do believe you started a game in the pool that I very much plan on finishing and I don’t think you’re gonna win.” 

She didn’t have time to fully process his words, the next thing she knew his lips were on hers, soft but demanding, just the right mix of tenderness and desire. His arm wrapped around her shoulders holding her close and his other hand cupped her cheek, fingers in her hair. Her hand travelled up his chest and the gentle strokes of her finger at his collar bone made him groan allowing just enough room for her to slip her tongue between his parted lips deepening their kiss. They pulled apart slightly when they ran out of air between them. 

Still slightly out of breath, noses touching, hands tracing invisible patterns on all and every available patch of skin, she whispered to him, “Feels a lot like winning to me.” 

**Author's Note:**

> I’d love to hear what you think!


End file.
